This project was a collaboration with Jane Franklin Dance that explores the concept of space and the interference created through the motion of bodies near a sensor. Three dancers interact with the sensor device – a Theremin – suspended on stage. The Theremin is not used to create the sound for this piece, instead I use it to detect the proximity of the dancers. The signal from the Theremin is converted to MIDI data and drives a synthesizer as well as controls aspects of the video. The entire piece is more than 20 minutes and is divided into 5 sections. The second and fourth section include music composed by Gina Biver.
The dancers moving between the antennae of the Theremin create radio interference, which differs based on their proximity to the antenne. I used this information to program distortions in the projected image and alter the frequency of the sounds during the live performance. The sounds range from violin music recorded by Gina Biver, to electronic synthesized audio. Each performance was unique and created an interested choreography where the dancers influenced the outcome. This work has been performed in gallery spaces in Washington DC, the Kennedy Center Millenium stage and at Performatica in Pueblas, Mexico. A short clip from the middle section can be seen below:
Code & music: Bryan Leister, additional music: Gina Biver, choreography: Jane Franklin, size: variable, media: Theremin, MIDI, laptop, 5-channel surround sound; completed: 2006
This animation was created for a project called The Mouse of Amherst by Jane Franklin Dance in Arlington, VA. The story is adapted from the book of the same name by Elizabeth Spires. This dance is targeting children and imagines a friendship between Emily Dickinson and a mouse. The setting is based on Emily Dickinson’s bedroom in Amherst, MA.
For this piece, I decided to create a new kind of projected work that is not pre-recorded but instead is played in real-time as a video game. Originally, I had wanted to have the choreography of the animation controlled by the dancers, but ultimately we decided to just have the game play itself automatically. This is similar to a ‘cut scene’ in video games, as it is not video but an example of the game graphics presented in a controlled manner.
The piece was recorded and performed in 2011 on the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage in Washington DC along with several other pieces choreographed by Jane Franklin.
media: projection, PC: completed 2010
This dance performance was a collaboration with Jane Franklin Dance performed at The Woolly Mammoth Theater’s experimental space in Washington DC in 2009. For this project, we decided to explore the topic of in-between spaces and the video was projected on top of the dancers as they moved. I was interested in using chance and randomness as part of my process and developed the original music compositions for the 22-minute performance using loops and oscillating synthesized sound. I also created the animations for four of the five sections using looping animations and simulated physics.
The second movement was animated by Rassamee Ruangsri who created ameoba-like forms that appear to communicate and interact with each other. All of the animations were projected over the dancers bodies as they performed, creating another dimension of movement through their shadows. The score and video developed into 5 distinct movements that I turned into short films. The shorts created for Movements #2 and #4 were screened at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2010.
Animation & music: Bryan Leister, additional animation: Rassamee Ruangsri, choreography : Jane Franklin, completed: 2009